By Brent Reser

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Tag Archives: America’s Funniest Home Videos

I think the show I am addressing tonight can legitimately be classified as one of our nation’s classics. However, I am not laughing.

I hate America’s Funniest Home Videos (now known by the hipper name, AFV). My dislike for the program is multifaceted.

First, I just don’t find it funny when someone is startled or accidentally hit with an object. Animals that do silly things don’t tickle my funny bone either. Slipping or tripping doesn’t make me LOL. I don’t particularly enjoy birthday or wedding bloopers either. Obviously, what I just mentioned is the bread and butter of AFV. And, unfortunately for me, it never changes. Each show, in my opinion, is practically the same. Besides the evolution of better video quality over the years, a show from 1989 is the same from a show in 2017. I just don’t do slapstick.

I also don’t do horrible hosts. Bob Saget and Tim Bergeron made me cringe. Their presentation went beyond corny. I literally could not watch AFV because of them. I am dead serious. Since then, I think a couple of other people have taken over hosting duties and hopefully they (along with the writing) are better. But Saget and Bergeron completely ruined the show for me.

Finally, the fakeness (or so I thought) of the show also turns me off. I don’t need a laugh track to tell me when to laugh and on AFV it is played after every single video. Even worse, there is the studio audience that will make you roll your eyes. The show will cut to the studio after a video is shown and focus on some dude practically rolling in laughter. I mean, how funny can it be when a kid swings and misses at a piñata? An adult really doesn’t find this stuff hilariously funny, right?

Wrong!

Case in point…my wife.

Last night we found ourselves watching AFV. Before the first video was even done Sidney was already laughing hysterically. Over the next several minutes, she was howling as we watched the various videos. Watching Sid enjoy herself so much made me happy. In fact, it also made me lightly chuckle at a few of the videos as well. It almost goes without saying that when your spouse is joyful, it makes you joyful as well.

I still don’t like AFV but I will always watch it with my wife. I stand by my first two points in that every episode is the same and the hosting is awful, but I will concede my third point: people actually do have laughing fits while watching the show. Now keep those cameras rolling! Don’t Blink.